Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Garder is a 6’3 190lb CB from Cincinnati. Sauce is the CB1 in this draft class. Across 3 years of starter play at the FBS level, He did not give up a TD and was dominant against the highest of competition. Lets look into his tape deeper to see what makes him the CB1 in this draft:
Strengths: Ahmad Gardner’s height is a huge advantage as a CB. Very rarely do cornerbacks measure in at 6’3. He has elite length, and has a great ability to reach across the WR’s body and bat the ball out of the air. Sauce has elite athleticism and movement skills for someone of his body type. He has very fluid hips with great movement in all directions, allowing him to mirror receivers with ease. Sauce excels in press man coverage, as he is extremely physical right off the snap, getting his hands on WRs immediately. This caused Jameson Williams issues in the Cotton Bowl, who was one of the best WRs in college football. Sauce’s football intelligence combined with his quickness allows him to not get beat or fooled by cuts and double cuts. Gardner has an impressive burst as well. Gardner’s burst and long legs allow him to recover and get himself into good position if he gets beat initially. Even if there is space between him and the receiver when the ball is thrown, his long arms allow him to knock the ball out of the air. Gardner is also a willing participant in the run game, and shows some aggression when tackling. Sauce also shows an effective corner blitz off the edge, either rushing the QB or even sacking the QB. Gardner is dominant in man coverage, but plays well in zone too. He does a good job staying in his zone, recognizing when receivers are entering, and watching the QB’s eyes. He displays good ball skills when the ball is thrown his way in regards to knocking it down or plucking it out of the air. Sauce was not responsible for allowing a TD in all three of his years at Cincinnati.
Weaknesses: Although Gardner has great height and length, he has a thin frame, which may cause some concern in the NFL. His frame doesn’t concern me much because he was physical, made tackles, and was injury free throughout his collegiate career. Although Sauce is a willing tackler, he misses a few tackles, and his form could be improved. He struggles to shed blocks at times when stalk blocked by WRs. Gardner can get beat deep occasionally by very fast WRs. He can also get a little grabby at times when he gets beat. Gardner can also get beat on quick slants across the middle on occasion. Some scouts may also be concerned because Gardner has been restricted to playing on the boundary (the shorter side of the field), and did not shadow receivers or play on the field side at all in his career.
Bottom Line: Sauce Gardner is a special player. A 6’3 CB is extremely rare and a 6’3 CB with his athleticism and movement skills is even more rare. He has great agility and hip fluidity and mirrors WRs with ease. He excels in man coverage, which is extremely important in today’s NFL. His physicality on the line of scrimmage allows him to disrupt many WRs’ games. He has great burst which makes him dangerous as a blitzer off the edge and allows him to recover when initially beaten. His elite length allows him to reach across WR’s bodies and swat down passes without creating pass interference. Sauce could improve as a tackler. He can occasionally get beat deep and on quick slants. I think Sauce has the potential to be a true lock-down corner in the NFL and has All-Pro potential.
Grade: 1.3
